How Would the Student Enrollment at Valley Unified High Compare?

Did you know ...

• If the proposed Valley Unified Regional School existed today, it would include a total enrollment of 472 high school students.

• In terms of today's Maine high school enrollment figures, the Valley Unified Regional High School would have a smaller student enrollment than 53 other Maine high schools.

• With a combined student enrollment of 472 learners, the Valley Unified Regional High School would have a smaller student population than the high schools in Presque Isle (527) and Caribou (491).

For more information on Maine's current high school enrollments, including the current comparative size of Community High School in Fort Kent, Madawaska High School, and Wisdom High School, as well as the proposed Valley Unified School, click here or on the image below.

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Public Hearing and Straw Poll Reminder

Public hearings and straw polls for the proposed location of the Valley Unified Regional School will be held in a month.  Dates, times, and locations of the meetings in each SAU are posted below.

For detailed information on the Site Selection process, click here or on the image above to review our Site Selection Citizen's Guide.

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The Potential "New Possible" in Information Technology

Did you know ...

• Educate Maine has identified Information Technology as a high-need occupational sector in our state.
• Information Technology workers are in demand in a variety of employment settings, including; business; healthcare, government, education, consulting, and more.
• The current unmet demand for Information Technology employees has resulted in flexible work schedules for qualified candidates.
• The average annual salary for Information Technology jobs and careers in Maine is about $75,000.
• Nearly 50 Valley Unified high school students, in surveys conducted during the 2018-2019 school year, indicated an interest in career-focused studies related to Information Technology.

We believe we could more effectively prepare Upper St. John Valley high school students for employment and careers in Information Technology, if ...

• All our students were together under one roof on one campus, studying and learning in an Academy for Communication and Technology Studies.
• All our high school educators had the opportunity to work together daily, designing and facilitating a comprehensive, integrated series of learning opportunities through a Digital and Information Technology pathway.

We believe the proposed Valley Unified Regional school represents the "new possible" for the students, educators, communities, and citizens of the Upper St. John Valley.

To review an example of this "new possible", click here or on the image below to see sample content from a potential Digital and Information Technology Pathway Program of Study.

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Student Focus Group Findings

Between September, 2018 and February, 2019, Valley Unified conducted 14 focus group meetings with a total of 220 students in grades 6-12 from our region's elementary and middle/high schools concerning their thoughts, views, and opinions about the proposed Valley Unified Regional High School.  Summative data from the focus groups appears below:

• 35% of those participating were Madawaska School Department students, 25% represented the MSAD #33 student population, and 40% were from MSAD #27 schools.

• Before sharing their thoughts about a single regional school for the Upper St. John Valley, 51% of students indicated they felt the proposed new school was a good idea, 30% believed it was a bad idea, and 19% were undecided.

• After hearing each other's thoughts about a single regional school, 66% of participants indicated, if they could vote and their vote counted, they would vote in favor of the new school, 31% indicated they would vote no, and 3% were undecided.

• Of the students in grades 6 and 7 who took part in the focus groups, 49% indicated they would vote in favor of the school and 51% indicated they would vote no.

• Of the grade 8 students who participated, 76% indicated they would vote in favor of the new school, 17% indicated they would vote no, and 7% were undecided.

• Of the students in grades 9-12 who took part, 84% indicated they would vote in favor of the new school, 13% indicated they would vote no, and 3% were undecided.

• Of the 220 total students who participated, 35% indicated the school should be located in Frenchville, 23% indicated the school should be located at a center point in terms of miles and travel time, and 20% thought it should be located in Fort Kent.

Key advantages or opportunities of the proposed school that students identified included the following:

• Stronger athletic teams, including JV squads.

• A greater variety of classes and learning opportunities.

• Getting to know new people and make new friends.

• More clubs, groups, and things to do, because of more students.

• A modern, energy-efficient building that will cost less to heat and light.

• More money available for teachers, classes, and programs, because less will be spent on buildings and administration.

• Everyone will be exposed to Career and Technical Education and career clusters.

Those interested in more information concerning the student focus group findings, including the questions asked and students' thoughts about the challenges posed by a single regional school, can click here to access a detailed PDF document.

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Another Potential Example of the "New Possible"

Did you know that ...

• Law enforcement agencies across our nation, state, and region are experiencing staffing shortages.

• According to the Bureau of Justice Studies, the number of full-time, sworn law enforcement officers in the U.S. has dropped by nearly 24,000 since 2013.

• In hopes of filling vacancies and building up their force of qualified officers, some police departments and law enforcement agencies are offering either salary increases or better benefits.

• Well-staffed law enforcement agencies are critical to public safety even in rural areas like the Upper St. John Valley.

• Law enforcement/public safety is a demanding, complex profession that requires a high level of preparation and a broad knowledge base, including physical conditioning and awareness of a wide range of pressing social issues.

• In surveys conducted in the three Valley Unified high schools in 2018, over 30 students indicated an interest in career-oriented studies associated with public safety/law enforcement.

We believe we could effectively align core academic requirements with integrated public safety/law enforcement studies, beginning in 9th grade, if all Upper St. John Valley students were together under one roof on one campus.

We believe we could effectively link academic subject matter, studies in personal fitness and wellness, and courses related to law enforcement/public safety, if all Upper St. John Valley educators had the opportunity to work together daily as a single team focused on the delivery of integrated learning opportunities for students enrolled in a Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security Pathway.

We believe the proposed Valley Unified Regional School and this potential Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security Pathway represent the "new possible" for the students, educators, communities, and citizens of the Upper St. John Valley.

To consider this example of the "new possible" click here or on the image below to view sample content from a potential Valley Unified Regional Learning Center Pathways Program of Studies.

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Important Notes About Career and Technical Education

Did know that ...

• Educate Maine has identified Computer Analysis and Support (Information Technology), Construction, Engineering, Healthcare, Hospitality, and Manufacturing as employment sectors that are in demand now and will be for the next 10 years in our state.

• Valley Unified's St. John Valley Technology Center (SJVTC) currently provides programs in Advanced Technologies (Information Technology), Construction Trades, Health Occupations, and a program in Welding and Fabrication that addresses important Manufacturing sector workforce needs.

• Priority #5 of the Valley Unified strategic plan, Rightsizing Education in the Upper St. John Valley, 2017-2027, is to review, align, and change SJVTC programs based on emerging workforce needs and demands.

• The SJVTC added a Forest Resource Management program this year to address the workforce development needs of our critically important local forest industry.

• The SJVTC has received approval from the Maine Department of Education (MDOE) to provide an Electrical Construction program and an Industrial Electrical Instrumentation program to help address the construction and manufacturing sector workforce demands in our region.

• The SJVTC also has received approval from MDOE to offer a program in Heavy Equipment Operation to help address local workforce development needs in the construction and forest industries.

• The SJVTC has partnered with Washington County Community College and local interested party, Twin Rivers Paper Company, to develop a Manufacturing Career Preparation training component to align with its existing programs in Welding and Fabrication, Advanced Technologies, and Forest Resource Management (lumber manufacturing) and its future Electrical Construction and Industrial Electrical Instrumentation programs.

• Another goal of the Manufacturing Career Preparation training component at the SJVTC is to prepare interested participants, beginning in 10th grade, to earn a nationally recognized Manufacturing Skills Standards Council (MSSC) Certified Production Technician credential which will help address local needs for a qualified manufacturing production workforce.

While we are excited about these developments, we believe we could more effectively align core academic expectations with the applied technical learning in current and future programs at the SJVTC and more effectively address the workforce development needs of local employers, if all Upper St. John Valley middle and high school students were together under one roof on one comprehensive, integrated school campus where we could expose more students to these and other potential Career and Technical Education learning opportunities.

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The "New Possible" in Business Studies

Did you know that ...

• Well-managed and efficiently-operated small businesses and companies are a critical part of Maine's culture and economy, and account for up to three-fifths of our state's private workforce.

• None of the three high schools in the Upper St. John Valley currently has a comprehensive program of business preparation studies, even though we have students interested in pursuing business careers and even someday becoming small business owners.

• Comprehensive programs of business preparation studies gradually became unavailable at our local high schools due to smaller student enrollments.

We believe we could effectively align core academic studies with an integrated program of comprehensive business studies, beginning in 9th grade, if all Upper St. John Valley students were together under one roof on one campus.

We believe we could effectively link both academic subject matter and practical business studies with the workforce development needs of local businesses and the economic development needs of local communities, if all Upper St. John Valley educators had the opportunity to work together daily as a single team focused on the development and delivery of integrated academic and career-focused learning opportunities in business practices.

We believe that credit-bearing internships in local, community-based businesses and companies would benefit not only our students but also our local businesses, employers, and communities by introducing students to the employment and small business development opportunities in our region.

We believe the proposed Valley Unified Regional School represents the "new possible" for the students, educators, businesses, employers, citizens, and communities of the Upper St. John Valley.

To consider a Business Practices example of this "new possible", click here or on the image below to view sample content from a potential Valley Unified Regional Learning Center Pathways Program of Studies.

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